Crape Myrtle Pruning - The Good, The Bad And The Please NEVER DO THIS!
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- Ahhhh, The Crape Myrtle, a staple in most any southern landscape. The tree that is adored by many but is often misunderstood. You see somewhere along the way someone decided that to prune this beauty you must give it a military style "flat top". Literally chopping it's trunks off straight across and calling it well done. WHY? I will NEVER understand.
So I want to share with you some examples of this tragedy and explain why its not a good idea as well as the qualities of a normal crape myrtle. The why behind the pruning. It is my hope that we can stop this senseless improper pruning technique and get back to having gorgeous Crapes in our landscapes once again :-)
Thank you so much for watching, I hope you enjoy and will share your thoughts below.
Have a fantastic day,
Kim, The Southern Daisy
Zone 7B, North Carolina
#crapemyrtle #thesoutherndaisy #landscapedesignideas #pruning #crape #gardeningtips #landscaping #landscapingtips #landscapes #treepruning #diy #landscapemaintenance
🌱 VIDEO LINKS 🌱
➡️ How To Properly Prune A Crape Myrtle - • HOW TO PRUNE A CRAPE M...
➡️ The Do's & Do Not's Of Pruning Crape Myrtles - • The Do's & Do Not's of...
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I want to thank you for your time to educate us about these beautiful trees. You have a gift on how easy you explain everything. And please ;don’t waste too much thoughts on people who get offended for everything. It’s on them and not on you. Thank you and God bless you ❤
I’m a licensed landscaper here in the great state of Texas. It is totally ok to top the trees if they are next to a structure but you must do a laser cut across and not lop sided cuts. If you trim them even like a laser cut horizontally they come back very nice. It preferably best done when they have no leaves. If you let them grow to tall next to a house or building there is the potential possibility of inviting pest into your structure being that they produce a sweet sap that ants love. Trim away but do it CORRECTLY and watch out for a new problem a lot of people are noticing, bark scale. When you see black limbs get yourself a good pesticide or your loose your blooms and maybe even your precious Myrtle. Cheers 😂
I appreciate each of your examples showing "what not to do" and you do not have to apologize for identifying the incorrect pruning methods. People have to recognize that it is understandable and acceptable to be corrected.
Thank you! You’re right!
I love these trees! I had three planted last spring. Thank you. You seem so sweet and I enjoyed this video
Hey! Thank you so very much! I love these trees so much too and it makes me so sad that they are chopped! Thank you so much for watching. I appreciate you :-)
Nature, animals or trees can be very forgiving towards us. More forgiving than we are with ourselves. For example I had a bucket full of cuttings I made last spring soaking in water, I had gotten very sidetracked with some family matters. I totally forgot about the cuts. It was about 3wks B4 I got back to them and believe it I not only about 1/2 of them drowned/died. The rest I potted up in larger bundles thinking they probably wouldn't do well. They did very well. I changed into pretty pots with plan of gifting to my son +daughter law when they got their first home.
That was so nice to read. You sound like such a gentle soul
"Crape Murder" is what long time Georgia gardening expert and author Walter Reeves calls the topping pruning method on crape myrtles. Makes me want to cry when I see it done!
had to work so hard not to use that word while creating this video. That’s the term for this but didn’t want the video to be removed lol. You never know these days. Hurts my heart so bad too. 😢
I have 37 crape myrtles in my back yard, every color; they survived a terrible freeze several years ago and came back even better. When the wind blows, they "dance to the wind."
I smiled so big when I read your last sentence. They really do dance in the wind and are so magnificent. I am putting a video together on them now. :-)
Wow that must be beautiful
Your landscape looks excellent. Thanks for an informative Crape Myrtle tutorial. Also, you're hilarious. God Bless. 🤗😂🙏
Thank you 😊 I am full time lol
I have several Crepe Myrtles on my property in every color. I just love them. Unfortunately on some they were cropped at the top and the examples you showed is exactly how they look. Luckily it’s only 3 of the 11 that I have. This year on several I have sprouts at the bottoms that I am going to cut and try to propagate so I can add more out front. I’m excited to try 🤞🤞 they root. Thank you so much for helping me understand what happened to my 3.
@litaapreston9605 I've been growing new trees from my cuttings and have been happy that I just took a chance with my cuts. I am in FL, I usually get my pruning done during the 1st & 2nd Wk of March. When I prune, I try to set aside my cuts that I plan to use in growing new trees- I have found that the best cuts, the ones that seem to grow best are cuts made with extra meat at the point of the slice. I think that some ppl call it the knuckle. I strip away leaves or addtnl foliage from the cut running up about 4" or so if able and then soak in bucket of water for @3days. I try not to exceed that if too hot out. Note I check all my cuts B4 strip & dropping into water to make sure the slice is made diagonal or slant as much as possible to allow the most water availability to the plants inner system. That's what I call it anyway I am no plant doctor or specialist but this works for my grandma & it has worked for me. I have never used a plant root growth helper since I seem to have had good luck so far. Although I am tempted to try it next season just to see what kind of results I get. At the risk of sounding like a nosey-know-it-all, I wanted to share this little bit of info. I would love to hear any of your tricks or thoughts as well as how your efforts on your first propagating turns out
Good luck to you and may everything bloom.
@@TheresKnt Thank you for sharing this information. I currently planted 7 pots of shoots and it appears that 3 are going to be successful. I found a couple of good websites/blogs that gave good instructions for propagation. Very close to what you have recommended. I did soak the cutting in water for about 24 hours, dipped them in root hormone powder and potting 4 inches deep. After a few days the tops started to flop so I cut the tips hoping that wasn’t a mistake. I’m trying to encourage the plant to send its energy to setting roots. The website recommended rooting for 6-8 weeks then give a little tug on them to see if they rooted. I can then transplant in the late fall or next spring.
Ok I’m glad I came across your video! We bought a home with a mature Crape Myrtle in upstate SC last year. I saw a ton of them being whacked off around town and wondered if I needed to do the same, but decided to leave it completely alone (I like nature to be wild anyway). Now I’m happy I left it! It’s beautiful, full and lush with leaves, BUT only a few flowers so far (and it’s late June). Maybe my variety blooms later?
I can’t imagine pruning the crepe myrtle in my yard like that. Here in zone 6b Pennsylvania crepe myrtles were a gamble on winter hardiness until recently. I like ‘Sarah’s Favorite’ and ‘Natchez’. My ‘Natchez’ is finally big enough to flower this year. It is beautiful in September when almost no other trees are flowering. There is now a crepe myrtle that is root hardy in zone 5 but I can’t remember the name of it at the moment. The big selling point of crepe myrtles, to me, is a tropical look in temperate climates.
Oh that’s amazing. I will be on the lookout for this
Beautiful trees 👍👌😇🙏🏼💯🌹
Very helpful. I hope people listen. The other pruning that really is awful is pruning azaleas like hedges. The lawn men cut off many of the flower buds and the bushes end up with splotches of color and bare areas.
Hi Matteo, It is really tough and I genuinely think most people just don't know. That is awful to lose your buds and have splotchy azaleas. Great idea for a video though :-) Thank you for your insight and for watching.
I've got wild azaleas, I just let them be.
@@soco13466 🙌🙌
Very interesting, thanks for the video! 👍
You're welcome. I'm glad you found it interesting. Thanks for watching.
Thanks great Video 👌
OH MY!!!! I wish I could take a picture and send it to you.That's exactly what mine looks like!!!😂 I used to do this thing right.I don't know what happened. Actually, I do know what happened.I used to prune it in the fall.
Well you can always start pruning it correctly now. Hope my how to videos help you. They are linked below the video.
Hello!! I agree with you completely. My husband and I use to live in Florida where we had 2 beautiful crape Myrtle’s and they were gorgeous! What you are explaining recall that great I watched this lady who is that? I’ll let you watch her. Enjoying the crate murder….. it seems like everyone trims them that way. copying. I’m so glad someone finally said something about that.
It makes me cringe personally! Ah to live in Florida ❤️❤️❤️
This video saved my parents’ crapes 🥹 I do need to prune some limbs that are rubbing together, BUT I won’t murder them like my dad suggested!
And this just made me feel like a proud mama! Thank you from me and the Crapes.
Great info! I have a crape myrtle that sadly only has one stem (and a lot of branches off that stem) like a "normal" tree. Is there a good way to encourage additional stems to come up from the roots? Thanks!
I planted 2 of these last year. We had late freezes here in Upstate South Carolina. The buds were ruined, now they have some leaves starting to show on some stalks, but others don't. Should I prune those, or wait and see?
Thank you, can you talk to my neighbors? A whole yard full of bad myrtles.
great info
Hello..Love your content. I have a question..I bought a very young black diamond Crepe Myrtle 3 years ago from a nursery and it had beautiful blooms on it. I planted it in a sunny location and it gets plenty of water and I do fertilize it as well but every summer I do not get any blooms,, What could be going wrong? This is a very young 3 trunk crepe..Thanks so much
Hi Kim, I improperly pruned a couple of our crepe myrtles in years past and they now have that ugly top heavy look. Is it possible to prune it now in such a fashion to repair it, or do I simply need to dig it up and restart with a new, young shoot or plant?
We in the South of Alabama call it Crape Murder
Yes here toi
Do you have a video on how to properly prune them? I jist planted 4 10 foot .myrtle and a 30 foot myrtle. Also how long shoukd you water ea st a hot texas weather?
What do you do when they grow 20’? They don’t grow nearly as many because they’re so tall?
I have about twenty regrowth that need removed. Can you advise how to cut them and get them to root please
I have one of those tree on my side patio. And I see you have a lot of knowledge about this. I wonder if you can give me some advice. There is some kind of fungus or something like that kind of greenish color. How can I treat it? I don't want to let it die.
Thanks in advance
I've been using a chain saw in Central Florida on crepe myrtle. I have two to do today so looking at how to do it...
If I can help you learn let me know. I’ll be glad to hop on a zoom with you to talk it through if it will help you.
I had to work so hard not to use that word while creating this video. That’s the term for this but didn’t want the video to be removed lol. You never know these days. Hurts my heart so bad too. 😢
I moved to NC a few years ago. Saw all these trees cut off everywhere down here and had no idea what was up with that. Come to find out they are crapemyrtles. I can’t believe people do this to these beautiful trees. We bought a home on some acreage that has lots of mature plants, including crapemyrtles. We have two that are so large some tell us they think they may be well over 100 years old. Anyhow, when these mature ones bloom, and even the younger ones, they are just gorgeous. I can’t believe anyone would cut them all up crazy like that. 😨
@@heathdetweilerRealtor it is mind blowing isn’t it? I beg yours are spectacular ❤️
Hey! Love your video! I've been researching what to do with my crepe myrtles ❤ I bought my home last year in March & wasn't able to prune like I wanted. They are on the side of my carport and parallel to a power line :/ there's 3 of them, all different flower colors and the last 2 have a wisteria vine growing around it. Love/hate that plant because it's crazy to maintain in summer, but so beautiful when bloomed in Spring. Would love some advice ❤
Absolutely! Can you send me your questions so I can speak to what you are trying to accomplish? I’m thinking of doing a viewer questions and tutorial answer video.
In which month we plant this tree
Oh my so thankful I found you! Maybe you can’t help. I’m new to crepe Myrtle family. I think the winter got top of my plant so I cut it back not white 50%. I am not having shoots everywhere but only at the very very base. I had it trimmed where there was no growth at the bottom. What can I do? Do I cut the suckers off? Can it ever be a tree again? So I go ahead and cut the top that has no life to it down?
I can’t send a pic on here or I would. I am devastated and this happened to my Oleander tree as well. I’m in coastal Ga.
I have a crape myrtle that is splitting from the base upward about 2 ft. Is it too late to save it, or do i need to cut it down 🥺
Hi, the three large crape myrtles featured in your video are on our newly purchased property and we’d love to see if there is anything that you can do to bring them back to a more natural look…fingers crossed. 🤞
I have one in front of my house and it’s only a few years old. As big as they look to get I may have to just have it removed.
Mine only blooms and shows off for 3-4 weeks a year. With that being the case I’m thinking of having it removed.
I have 15 crepe myrtles all in a row lining my road. Will they turn out ok if i never prune them.. I have people telling me to prune them but i dont want to end up with little shoots off nubs. Mine are just two years old
Did you watch the video? The only pruning a crepe myrtle might need is shaping up the trunks or removing branches that cross and rub each other etc...
I want to plant a row of tree's. How far apart should I plant them?
That drives me crazy to see the knuckles. I do bare minimum pruning. I have one that has gotten too tall for me to prune but I will find a way of getting to it because I want to train it to grow with a canopy.
The winter of 2022/2023 caused one of our four crepe myrtles to die - seemingly, at least. I waited until early July to take my chainsaw to it. There was not a single piece of growth anywhere above ground level, though there was some growth coming out of the ground around the base. So, I leveled it. Now, it is coming back. BUT - it appears that what is coming back is a number of tiny stalks that appear to be forming something that seems to resemble more of a bush than a tree. Is there anything we can do to make it look more like a tree, or is it now just going to be a shrub/bush where it used to be a tree? Thank you for your video.
Good nice
😊
thanks
I should have watched this before I used the chain saw cut 😭
That’s ok! You will know for another time
Wish i could send yall a picture of all mine that have been neglected but not been knuckled
Oh man that’s tough. Isn’t it?
I had a landscaper "prune" two big Crape Myrtles we have in our backyard. They had never been pruned in the years I've lived in the house and had become very large and top heavy - they did provide a good amount of privacy in our small backyard. But I'm afraid he cut them down too far. He did it in December. It's now April and I don't see a single shoot on any of the cut branches. The trees did have a mealybug infestation and I was having them treated by TruGreen. So now I'm thinking cutting them/pruning them during the treatment was a mistake and now they may never grow and bloom again. Thoughts?
Excellent video! I want to line a brick wall that is about 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide with flowering trees. Would you suggest Crepe Myrtles or something else?
Do you mean on top of the wall.
No. Would be in front of the wall.
Whenever I prune crepe myrtles I like to use a one handed reciprocating saw and prune it selectively by only cutting the branches that are tangled or actually dead. The last thing I want is to have a frail crepe myrtle.
Sounds interesting for sure !
This is helpful but i have a question. Could i make a bonsai design with a crepe myrtle??
Eh I would not think so.
Is there any option if you need to make the tree shorter? Mine is well shaped but very tall. I need to bring down to roof height so I will have to cut the large limbs beneath where most (all) of the leaves, small branches and blooms will be. Therefore seems like my only option will be the ugly "knuckle look". 😢 ???
yes commit "crepe murder" its not as bad as videos on the internet make it seem. Sure you have the knuckle look but that can grow out over years as the new branches get larger. I have a crepe myrtle that was head cut last year and it reduced the height of the myrtle alot. When its got leaves & buds on it, they still look nice.
Mississippian here. The version of the unpruned tree appears to me to have been pruned. We've all seen the crepe myrtles that how flowering limbs starting at the ground. The one shown seem to have about 5' before the spreading of the branches. This is what I'm accustomed to seeing. I'll search your older videos for other ways to prune
There’s a difference between limbing up the tree (tree forming it)and making cuts to the branches up top. I’m referring to the not being pruned by way of giving it a flat top straight across. What are you trying to accomplish and let me help you if possible.
You don't know what you're talkin' about. The whole point of doing it is to shape and limit the size of the tree or bush. Otherwise, you are simply putting a strain on the root system, causing whatever tree or bush to fail with consistent blooms. The neglect causes this to happen to anything. Not just Crepe Myrtle. You people don't even know how to shape a rose bush, then?!
@@stratoleft so let me make sure I understand you correctly. You think in nature our goal should be to control the size and shape of trees or bushes that are growing how it was created to grow? If I understood that correctly, my question is then how do trees that are 50’ tall not have strain on their roots after not being pruned to control the size? I’m looking at a forest of them now that look fantastic. With all due respect I do know what I am talking about and would appreciate any additional response to be respectful. I will listen and learn from anyone that is genuinely trying to discuss but when it’s insulting I immediately lose interest in your opinion. Have a great day.
@@thesoutherndaisyllc i see what you're referring to
I am always appalled at the saw slaughter that is done to the crepe myrtles that line many of the streets in my county. I find it amazing that the trees come back at all. That said, I do have a question.
I have 3 Black Diamond Crepe Myrtles that I bought in the spring and are now between 24" and 30". They will b moved to their permanent location in late winter early spring of next year. I was thinking of binding the trunks together so that as they grow it will give the effect of having 1 large multi faceted trunk for the first 3ft approximately. I am planning on using wide strips of cloth or tape as I don't want to girdle my trees or leave binding scars on them. After that, they would be allowed to spread as they wish and future pruning would be on the conservative side. To me this would make an already interesting winter tree a bit more unique and hopefully make the trunk area stronger. Do you have any negative feed back on this idea?
My first instinct is to ask why alter the tree from what it is naturally supposed to do. But then I think well I do this with my espalier which is a vine but still you can do this with trees and I love it. I don't have any negative feedback because I don't have enough understanding to what you are doing to say I guess. I love their branching habits and have only heard of binding to save a broken branch, not to alter the natural look. So I honestly don't know. Sorry I am not more help.
I trimmed mine wrong and have knots and black mold from bugs. Is there a way to go back and cut the knots out?
No you wouldn’t want to do that. I just posted a video recently where an Arborist explained what to do if this happens. I recommend you check that out.
I have shoots coming up a few feet away from my tree. Can I take cuttings of those for propagation?
You can certainly try. They grow so fast so there is a big chance that they will do well but may take some time. Let me know how it goes for you.
Can you get a crêpe myrtle back from this state? I have tried pruning hours by cutting the knuckles and leaving one branch.
You can try. Just leave it alone and don’t cut it anymore. See if it can recover. That’s likely so harsh that it may struggle to recover.
WE saw the maintenance men topping all crepe myrtles and copied. Now what do I do going forward?
I just posted a video with an arborist talking about what you do after it’s been done. When was it toppled?
💖👍🏻💖
Yay!
You didn't show a properly pruned myrtle
Check out her page. She has it!
Do you have an email where I can email you pictures of mine and you can help me with what to do with them? They’re roughly 15 years old and have not been taken care of.
@southerndaisyllc where is the link on how to prune?
can we shape a crape myrtle back to normal after it has been savagely cut and got those stumps ? :(
Yes check out the video I just posted. The arborist explains exactly how to do this easily.
Since you’re not putting anyone down, why is the other method wrong? Why is your method “proper?” Personally, I don’t want my crepe myrtles growing up over my gutters and depositing leaves and debris in them. The “murder” method seems to work just fine. They grow back to the same height every year and bloom just the same.
You have the freedom to chose whatever way you prefer to care for your trees. If you are truly curious I would suggest you do your research. Take the time to learn about pruning and the effects of your preferred method vs others.
For me I have spent many years learning in college, through highly specialized arborists and doing research. There is vast amounts of info and data to support the proper method. It’s not something I came up with but it’s absolutely something I can see, understand and support wholeheartedly. When a Crape is pruned by chopping the tree across it weakens the structure more specifically the branches. This weakens the structural support for the blooms and over time can be to the demise of the tree. The once normal thick branches are reduced to many little whip like branches that are weak. These are sometimes too weak to support the weight of the flowers. The place that is cut forms knuckle looking nubs that are very visible in winter and not pretty (my opinion)
As a landscape designer, it sounds to me like you’ve got the wrong plant in the wrong location. They are easily moved and are super resilient. That will then allow you to not have to worry about the gutters and you can plant something that won’t overgrow the house. If you need help I’m happy to give you some ideas.
I appreciate your questions and hope my explanation helped.
Mine was getting up into lines soooo 🤷♂️
How is moving a 30 ft crape easy? In your video I see what not to do, but no real solution on how to properly fix my issue
I got my first tree crape Myrtle red rocket last June it had so many branches crossing each other kind of messy, I decided to prune it today, I tried not to crape murder, however the top area about 6 1/2 feet tall with bunch of thin I felt the need to cut it off which I tried not to make it all same height. Since you say they grow back and bloom out just the same, I’m going to stop worrying that maybe I jacked it up
Angry huh.. Maybe go find your happy Place
She is helping others and if it’s not cup of tea
MOVE ON
ARE YOU IN THE ARMY AND YOUR THAT BOTHERED BY A VIDEO.. Take some deep breaths
Can a crape murder be resuscitated?
It will always be an amputee
I call those Crape Murders, it makes my heart hurt
Me too 😖
If it’s so wrong why is it so popular?
When you don’t know any better then you don’t know it’s not right or damaging. I just posted a video of an arborist discussing all the many different ways it can damage your tree.
alot of people are just lazy and dont take time to learn.
The oldest crepe myrtle in the USA is in Augusta, GA.
When is the best time to prune c&m?
It depends where you live. Here in NC Zone 8a it’s end of February. Right before it gets its leaves in spring
I wish I had watched this today before I cut mine because I just murdered two trees.
So guess what..it's ok. You didn't know and the good thing is, most of them don't die from it. So, now we just work on letting them grow back and not doing it anymore right?!? Next year maybe let them rest and don't prune them at all. Then after that take the approach of only pruning to shape what has grown back to make the tree shape look nice. Don't beat yourself up, its ok.
@@thesoutherndaisyllc Thanks for the pardon, I will do just as you advised.
How do I correct one that’s been chopped flat with a chainsaw?
Unfortunately, most of the time you can't. What you can do is moving forward, don't prune each winter. Just leave it alone and let it regrow. It stinks but honestly its most of the time the best you can do. I'm sorry about that!
I love crape Myrtle for the natural shape & size. The faults are the ppl not the plant. If one don’t want a 20-30 ft tree then get the appropriate size. They come in drawf, mid & large sizes. Ppl don’t pay attention to the tag info. There are many cultivars that are much smaller now for the landscape.
Sooooooo did I miss the part where you tell us the proper way to prune them? Or did you just rant on how those people hurt your feelings?
Sooooooo yes you missed where I referenced the fact that I created an entire video dedicated to the proper pruning techniques and demonstrated how to do it. I also linked the video below this one for ease of finding it. Check it out. Or don’t. Either way it’s all good.
Is it ok to leave them alone? Not prune at all?
Absolutely!!!!
My hubby had been using the chain saw on my crape Myrtles for years 😬… don’t tell him I told you so … and now they’re looking soooo pitiful LOL 😆 … how may I get in touch with you?
Hey! I sent you and email this morning. Would you let me know if you received it? You can reply to that email :-) Your message oh goodness- for the future we will just have to teach him how to prune them moving forward :-)
What to do if I done the wrong thing by cutting a flat top
Well first give yourself some grace. All is not lost. Leave it alone for now and let it recover. Then check out the latest video from last week where the arborist explained what to do. ☺️
@@thesoutherndaisyllc thank u for replying now let me check out video, thanks you for your making videos and sharing information
@@angellajones3760 seriously thank you for watching. I appreciate you!!!
I find it interesting that performing a head-cut on a crape myrtle is "not proper", yet if someone wants more of a bush/hedge form for their crape myrtle then this accomplishes that very easily.
When power companies trim trees to not hit power lines, but they do so in a way that is not optimal for the tree, is that considered improper pruning? How could it be, when the end goal of the pruning was accomplished successfully? In this case performing a head cut on a crape myrtle creates a different result, and the gardening world has labelled that result "bad" because its being done to a tree that would have another shape otherwise. Okay then, is bonsai pruning improper?
Its strange to me to assign virtue (what is right or wrong) to the way any certain tree get trimmed.
I just want to learn if I can head cut a myrtle I already have, that has been previously head cut, in order to get rid of old knobs. I can' find the answer because everyone on youtube just parrots the same line "THATS CRAPE MURDER!".
I like the density of flowers, the fact that they slowly sag lower towards my son's height through the season, and the fact that my head-cut myrtle blooms within my normal line of site vs. 15 feet in the air. But i can't learn how to maintain this tree because the internet says its a "murdered" tree.
Hey, to each their own. It’s your tree and if you prefer to cut it in the shape of a horse, it’s your tree you can do whatever you like. If you want to cut it a certain way to achieve a different result (drooping more for your son’s height) then it’s your tree to do that. I’m no expert in Bonsai but your question brought me back to college and my professor stating that to bonsai a tree is keeping it at the brink of death. I don’t believe that. I imagine there’s a way to do this type pruning that isn’t damaging to the plant. They are pruning for a purpose. So in that case you are doing the same. You are pruning your tree for the purpose of x, y & z. Could it damage your tree yes. Could it cause stress and potential other issues, yes. You are the only one that can weigh that option and decide.
I’ve had to maintain many trees that have been pruned beyond pruned. What is the information or question you are looking for to maintain it? I’ll try to help you there. Again, your tree, your freedom to prune as much and as hard as you wish. Research, experience and time has been the deciding factor in why it’s considered improper and I wholeheartedly believe it is as a result of my 23 years experience. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate it!
@@thesoutherndaisyllc thanks for taking the time for your thorough reply. I hope it was clear my comment was not directed at you personally. The question I can't answer because my crepe has been murdered is "can I headcut below the knobs that have formed from the original head cut to clean up past years knobs?". I went through like 10 vids before this comment and just gave up lol. You echo the point I was trying to make, I think, which is that it's just a shame that we label something as bad and then that "bad method" is like banned from discussion: "hey can I head cut this? No you can't that's murder!!". Except yes you can, and now the discussion has been shut off from exploring that fact to learn more. Sounds like this is just a part of gardening culture to a degree considering what your professors view of bonsai was. It's kind of like how in the car world you are looked down upon unless you buy the same super expensive stuff as some guy on social media with lots of followers. It killed that community & now those same ppl collectively mourn the loss of older car culture. Frustrating to see that intolerance to difference when I started trying to learn about gardening, soil, pruning trees, also.
@@MarkTrades__ so i can answer this question for you. No you wouldn’t want to cut below the knobs because you will end up with the same knobs and a very stressed tree from this decision. I really really wouldn’t do it. Maybe think of planting something at the base that’s flowering for your son instead. And I appreciate you saying it wasn’t towards me. I felt like it wasn’t but at the same time I wanted to express that you can feel free to do what you feel best. I don’t want you to think I am saying it’s a good idea though. I feel it’s a bad idea because of my experience. I’d love to hear what you end up doing. Hope this helps you
@@thesoutherndaisyllc well it is already cut from someone else the first time. Guess ill just leave it then! Less work is always good haha.
I moved to North Carolina a few years ago and love the crape myrtle. I see the badly cut crapes all over and ask myself why?
It's so awful isn't it? I can't for the life of me understand who thought it was a great idea. We don't do it to any other tree so why this one? And by the way, welcome to NC! I hope you've liked it so far.
@@thesoutherndaisyllc Loving It! 😀
When people plant these trees near there house we have to cut them back alot. They will be just fine as a bush or as a full size tree.
Absolutely, they do have to be cut back a lot when planted close to a house. There is a right way to do that without giving them a flat top that will provide a healthy outcome for the tree and be appealing for the homeowner.
Where the proper trimming 😢. Did i miss that part
I created a separate video showing start to finish how to properly prune a crêpe myrtle, and then I just recently in the last month released another one explaining with an arborist. Check those out.
Depends on your goals. Crepe myrtles are one of the best trees for pollarding.
Pollarding is a method of intentional pruning for a specific look. That is a technique done by specific cuts to bring each branch back heavily for a design. Taking a chainsaw or Loppers and giving the Crape Myrtle a flat top straight across is not pollarding. They are not the same. My video is focused on the improper pruning technique shown and speaking to homeowners and even sone landscapers who do this method out of not knowing different.
It is not murder. It a good way to control size, enhance shape and promote bloom. The plant is not harmed when done properly.
Just someone's opinion on UA-cam saying their way is right. I can make one doing the same for their way of doing so.
Wasn’t very helpful on how to prune it. 😢
Linked below this video in the notes is a full video on how to prune a Crape Myrtle.
I referenced it in the video a few times.
Totally disagree with you along with my plants do based on growth. My plants are so full and atrong by cutting ALL limbs off. While we have you so called pros who say such things us other landscapers and gardeners feel you are depriving the plants from their highest potential. All I can say is stay away from all my plants and the ones I maintain for others.
I can’t argue with years and years of research by people much smarter than I will ever be on the damage this does. But hey I guess we can all agree to disagree respectfully.
@@thesoutherndaisyllcwhat you said about crape murder, which is commonly referred to as topping, is correct. Topping trees was found to be detrimental to the health of the tree decades ago.
Thanks for posting this helpful video. I live in the Pennsylvania suburbs. When I bought my Tonto Crape Myrtle, it was already 5 ft high. I decided to put my Crape Myrtle in a big, double walled insulated planter. It grew so fast and produced many flowers. In late fall, I did trim the top of Crape Myrtle in a conservative fashion, so I could fit the shrub cover over it, to protect it from being exposed to the freezing temps. This year, it has leafed out everywhere, but there were some thin twigs in the center that never leafed out. The flower buds are starting to form. I have some stems at the bottom of trunk that are shooting out from the sides. I am hesitant to cut them since they are wider than the diameter of a pencil.
Wow, that's pretty rude. I do believe the lady here was referring to not topping the myrtle trees, which every botanist I spoke to at nursery have said the exact same thing. Prunin the small knuckles and pruning the outer edge seems to be the iideal perfered way. My neighbor tipped off her tree and thr branches look like it's wilting due to the weight of the flowers ans leaves. Lol. Now she regrets the "landscapers" whom she paid to shave thr top of thr tree. $800 lol... waste of money and also it's going to cost a lot to chop down, dig out and replant a new tree
Almost pollarding them , the bad pruning I mean
Personally, I think Crape Myrtle looks best if left un-cut.
Crape myrtles look so hideous when they're whacked off like that. It's better to not prune them at all! Natural is beautiful!
I agree!!!
I just bought a house most of it's dead some growth but all of it is scrunched together and at least 15 feet I live in northern Texas what do I do😂
??
What’s your question? More to come on this topic very soon 🙌
I feel like it be great to keep it naturaL, but some people like a specific one and want to keep it a smaller size by this method. Once they leaf up in summer you can’t even tell “most” of the time. Also, I’ve noticed mine bloom like crazy after they been murdered lol
There’s a big difference between training your crape myrtle with pruning for size and shape, and destroying it, as in this video, by just chopping off all of the offshoots.
Crape Murder
YES! I did my best NOT to say that because I was afraid it would get my video taken down. That is what I call it too and HATE IT SO MUCH!
I agree!